Arduino launches IoT Cloud, an Innovative IoT Development Platform

Arduino has released the IoT Cloud, a new easy-to-use platform that lets users manage, configure, and connect not only Arduino hardware but the vast majority of Linux-based devices — truly democratizing IoT development.

Arduino has launched the Arduino IoT Cloud in order to promote the popular open-source hardware and software platform in the IoT space. This new innovative platform is targeted at developers, system integrators and maker hobbyists.

The company describes it as an easy-to-use IoT application platform that enables users to develop and manage IoT applications that solve real-life problems in a business environment or in everyday life.

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Luca Cipriani, Arduino CIO, commented: “With the launch of the Arduino IoT Cloud, Arduino now provides its millions of users with a complete end-to-end approach to IoT that includes hardware, firmware, cloud services, and knowledge. This public beta release of the Arduino IoT Cloud, with automatic dashboard generation, webhooks support, and full TLS secure transport, will be an invaluable asset to users.”

The Arduino IoT cloud is designed to work in tandem with the MKR family which can deliver embedded connectivity and very low power consumption in a compact size. The company also cited an agricultural example to explain how they can be used together.

More about the Arduino IoT Cloud

Convenience and flexibility were key considerations for the Arduino IoT Cloud. One major benefit of using the Arduino IoT Cloud is its ability to program Arduino boards, whereas previously users were required to program them via Arduino Sketch.

The company explained that the Arduino IoT Cloud will quickly and automatically generate a sketch when setting up a new thing, thus enabling a developer to achieve a working device within five minutes of unboxing the board. The Arduino IoT Cloud also allows other methods of interaction, including HTTP REST API, MQTT, command-line tools, JavaScript, and WebSockets.

Massimo Banzi, CTO and Co-founder of Arduino, commented: “Arduino now offers a complete platform with the MKR family, providing a streamlined way to create local IoT nodes and edge devices. These use a range of connectivity options and compatibility with third-party hardware, gateway, and cloud systems. The Arduino IoT Cloud allows users to manage, configure and connect not only Arduino hardware but also the vast majority of Linux-based devices – truly democratizing IoT development.”

As security is important in the IoT era, the Arduino IoT Cloud was designed with security in mind — from product development through its entire lifecycle, enabling users to securely provision, connect and authenticate devices to the IoT Cloud while they are deployed in the wild. It ensures all data transmitted between the device and Arduino’s cloud is confidential and tamper-proof.

Client authentication (X.509 certificates) is adopted for asymmetric-key based authentication, while Transport Layer Security (TLS) is used for securing all traffic to and from IoT Cloud. There is also a way to use webhooks to let the Arduino Things interact with other services like IFTT, Google Spreadsheet, and Zapier.